How do I teach her something I'm not sure about myself?

Jenni - posted on 06/18/2012

She is a bit young now but as she gets older I would try to expose her to as many different opinions and faiths of religion that you can. Let her know what's out there and provide her with resources to come to her own conclusions on as she grows. Simply be her guide through her spiritual journey, which is of course a very personal one. Someone she can come to for questions of her own and perhaps provide her with books on different faiths and let her talk to people of different faiths and opinions (when she's old enough of course).



If you approach religion with an open mind yourself, then she is likely to feel more comfortable deciding for herself what she truly believes.



I am a former Christian and came from a rather liberal Christian home. My mom believes in the Christian god but she also isn't that keen on organized religion. She allowed my siblings and I to carve out our own spiritual paths through life. I attended various churches on my own and so did my sister. When I was 12-13 I read the Bible in it's entirety and became quite skeptical, so I pursued Wicca during my teen years and my mother was supportive (even though she didn't agree). Then I was an agnostic theist in my late teens and early twenties. Revisited church at 24 for a year and walked away a confirmed atheist.



My sister pursued Christianity far longer than me and was very active in youth groups. She ended up becoming a member of an Evangelical church where they speak in tongues. She was very devout. She attended university and upon taking a class on "Justifying your beliefs" she began questioning her own faith more and is now also a confirmed atheist.



I plan on allowing my own children to decide for themselves what they believe or don't believe and simply being there to guide them; provide information and resources on spiritual matters and support them in their own personal quest.

Brittney - posted on 06/14/2012

Anyone else have any thoughts on the subject?

Sharon - posted on 05/30/2012

Oooh, that is a hard one. Hmm... I am not of any particular belief myself and my knowledge of other religions and what they believe is limited. When my kids ask me anything about religion I answer them honestly by first telling them that I don't know for sure and then I proceed to answer their question by telling them what others may believe, and then I finish off by telling what I believe. If you don't wish to "brainwash" or daughter or have too much influence on what spiritual path she takes, then my advice would be to wait until she asks you the questions. If you decide at some stage that she really needs more knowledge, then perhaps introduce her to a church group that follows your own beliefs where she can ask her questions of people who have studied and are knowledgable on the subject. The thing is though, religion is a personal thing and the decisions regarding her spiritual education are up to you until she is old enough to question her journey and make her own decisions.